Unterschied der talmud und die tora

Non-Jewish people often confuse two important words in Jewish history: the Talmud and the Torah. They sounds vaguely similar, and may sound like they stem from the same concept, when, in fact, these are two very different things.

The Talmud is the most vital manuscript of the conventional Judaism religion. It is literally the Hebrew word for “learning,” and is sometimes referred to as the six orders of the Mishnah. The Talmud contains the history of the Jewish religion, as well as their laws and beliefs. It is the basic tool for learning the ethics behind the customs of their religion.

Torah, on the other hand, is the Hebrew word for “instruction.” The Torah is most widely known as the five books of Moses. Another word for Torah is “Pentateuch,” which is more widely used in some Jewish nations. Like the Talmud, the Torah is also a very religious manuscript. They both contain religious writings important to the Jewish community. The Torah is basically the Hebrew Bible – it contains the 613 commandments, and is the whole context of Jewish laws and traditions.

Some people may say that the Torah is the Old Testament. To the Jewish people, the concept of the Old Testament is not widely used. It is, in fact, unfamiliar for them. There is also no such thing as the New Testament in the scriptures of the Jews; the books that Christians call the New Testament are not part of their scriptures. “Tanakh” is the Jewish term for the written Old Testament. Most people from find it hard to distinguish between the two Jewish concepts just from their definitions. The key difference is that the Torah mainly describes the initial five chapters of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). To put it simply, the Torah comprises the entirety of Jewish law and tradition. Under Jewish beliefs, Moses received the Torah as a written text alongside an oral version or commentary. This oral section is now what the Jews call the Talmud. The Talmud depicts the primary codification (by Rabbi Judah the Prince) of the Jewish decrees.

Unterschied der talmud und die tora

Judaism Torah

The oral Torah, or the Talmud, explains the meaning behind the written texts so it is easier for people to apply them in their daily lives. The scriptures are a vital part of how they should live. All the oral traditions were compiled and called the Mishnah. Over the years, more commentaries are added to the Mishnah – these are referred to as the Gemara. There are two kinds of Talmud: the Babylonian Talmud (the more complete one and more widely used of the two) and the Jerusalem Talmud.

The Jewish law being practiced by modern Jews is mostly based on the Torah; a lot of people actually say that the Torah is the most important reference in the Jewish community. However, Jews still base some of their practices in Rabbinic Judaism on the Talmud.

All in all, the commentary of the sages, including their writings within the debate between Jews about the Torah, is what we now call the Talmud. Its purpose is to help people follow the rules of the Torah.

The two most pivotal religious manuscripts of Jews are Talmud and Torah. However, it is easy to get befuddled between the two given the similarity in their names.

Table of Contents

1
  • Talmud vs Torah
  • Comparison Table
  • What is Talmud?
  • What is Torah?
  • Main Differences Between Talmud and Torah
  • References

But it is worth noting they play very different roles in a Jew’s religious journey.

Talmud vs Torah

The difference between Talmud and Torah is that Talmud is an anthology of the oral Torah whereas the Torah usually refers to the written Torah that was passed on from generation to generation. In Jewish culture, it is said that to understand one scripture, the other one must be read as well.

Unterschied der talmud und die tora

Another key difference is that when Moses went to Mount Sinai, it is believed that he received 2 Torahs, one in written and another oral. The oral Torah which is now known as the Talmud was thus written down much later.

According to Jewish tradition, Talmud plays a pivotal role in educating Jews about their ethics, culture, and roots while Torah is the written manuscript that consists of five books of Mosses. Talmud is a compilation of discussions and lectures by Rabbis over 400 years.


 

Comparison Table

Parameter of ComparisonTalmudTorahOriginal versionOral TorahWritten TorahAnother nameBabylonian TalmudPentateuchCompilation ofof discussions and lectures by Rabbis over 400 yearsFive books of Mosses or the first five books of the Hebrew BibleMeaningInstructions or learningTo guide or to TeachWritten during13421312 BCE


 

What is Talmud?

Talmud also is known as the Babylonian Talmud is a compilation of the lectures and discussions between the Rabbis. In Jewish culture, Rabbis are considered as the most knowledgeable and insightful of their religion.

Talmud for long was only passed on from generation to generation as verses describing the written Torah. This was thus originally known as the oral Torah until it was put down in pen and paper over 400 years.

Talmud means “instructions” or “learning” and it is one of the most important religious books in the Jewish religion. Talmud is a very profound collection of the laws and literature that defines their religion and it is written in the form of short verses.

There are two kinds of Talmud, the Babylonian Talmud and the older version known as Jerusalem Talmud. The Jerusalem Talmud is a detailed analysis of Mishnah over 200 years and was written down by the sages of Academies in Galilee.

The Babylonian Talmud was written over 300 years by the sages Rav Ashi and Ravina II in Babylonia. Although both the Talmuds are results of a detailed analysis of the Mishnah, they both differ significantly.

Unterschied der talmud und die tora

 

What is Torah?

Torah is a collection of five books i.e. the book of Genesis, the book of Exodus, the book of Leviticus, the book of Numbers, and the book of Deuteronomy. These books are considered to be passed to the Mosses when they visited the Mount Sinai.

Some also believe that these writings in the Torah were dictated by God and written by Moses. However, the last eight verses differ in this scenario; they are deemed to have been written by Joshua as they talk about the death of Moses.

The Torah is translated to be “to guide”, “to teach”, “to instruct” and later into “law”. It was originally of two types, a Written Torah and an Oral Torah.

The oral Torah was an explanation of the written Torah which was passed along the generation only verbally with the Rabbis. The scripts of Torah start at the beginning of the world as God creates it and ends with Moses’ death and all along it preaches the laws and beliefs that the Jews consider their religious and civil law.

The Torah was also alternately called the Pentateuch because it is a collection of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. According to scholars, the Torah was written during the 1312 BCE and it was written in Hebrew.

However, some scholars also believe that it was written by several sages over the years and have also been edited several times.

Was ist der Talmud einfach erklärt?

Der Talmud ist das Kernstück gelebter, jüdischer Religiosität. Er verankert den Glauben im Alltag, gibt Anweisungen und Erklärungen. Der Talmud ist nach der Tora das zweite, wichtige Buch im Judentum.

Was ist die Tora und der Talmud?

Talmud ist die Bezeichnung für das gesamte Werk, das aus Mischna und deren Diskussion (Gemara) besteht; es gibt einen Babylonischen Talmud und einen Jerusalemer Talmud. Die Gemara wurde bis zum 6. Jahrhundert schriftlich fixiert.

Wie heißt die Tora auf Deutsch?

Thora heißt übersetzt „Wegweisung“. Im engsten Sinne sind das nur die fünf Bücher Mose. Im mittleren Sinne ist es die ganze jüdische Bibel, oder das, was Christen Altes Testament nennen und die Juden als Tanach bezeichnen. Der Begriff Thora bezeichnet im allerweitesten Sinne die gesamte mündliche Überlieferung.

Was ist alles in der Tora?

Die Tora (wörtlich Lehre, Weisung) im engen Sinn umfasst die fünf Bücher Mose, die in einem Zeitraum von einem Jahr, in Abschnitte geteilt, wöchentlich in der Synagoge gelesen werden. Sie ist die Hauptquelle jüdischen Rechts, jüdischer Ethik und der jüdischen Bräuche.